True-Blue
by harvestmoonfanatic123
Summary: Claire is cheery,optimistic, but she has a short fuse and she's the new farmer. Gray is anti-social, cold and distant hen he's angry he goes mining. What happens when two people who are complete opposites meet? Will they find out who their true friends really are? Will true love conquer all?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfiction; so I hope you like it, please feel free to comment. **

**True Blue**

**Description:**

Gray is the anti-social blacksmith apprentice who is cold, distant, and has trouble making friends, to deal with his anger he goes to the mines.

Claire is the new farmer who comes to Mineral Town; she is cheery, optimistic, likes making new friends, but she has a short fuse.

What happens when two people who are complete opposites end up meeting? Will they find out who their true friends really are? Will true love conquer all?

**True Blue**

Chapter 1: Welcome to Mineral Town

**Claire's POV**

I got off the boat and the first thing I see is a man dressed in red waiting at the end of the docks.

"Good morning sir; are you Mayor Thomas?" I asked when I reached him.

"Yes I am; I reckon your Claire, our new farmer."

"Yeah I'm Claire; I can't wait to fix up this run-down farm."

Thomas looked at me shocked; "How do you know the farm is run down?" He asked.

"My uncle came here to visit a friend a few months ago, and he told me all about the farm."

''Your uncle told you about the farm and you still wanted to live here?'' Thomas asked.

"Yes. I thought this would be a great opportunity, so I decided to give it a try."

"Well Claire, I think you got spunk and I think you will be a great farmer."

"Thank You sir, by the way have you seen the girl named Ann Martin?" I asked.

"Yes I have, do you know her?"

"Yes sir; she came to my uncle's café in the city once and we became friends, she was supposed to be here waiting for me." I said.

The minute I finished saying that I heard a voice calling my name.

"Claire! Claire! Is that really you!?'' yelled a red-headed girl.

"Yeah; it's me, are you still a soulless ginger, Ann?" I asked

"If I am soulless, then you are still a dumb blonde." My friend said.

"Then you're still a soulless ginger Ann."

"If Thomas and Zack take your luggage to your house, I will introduce you to the townspeople before I go back to work." Ann said.

"We will gladly do this, take good care of Claire, Ann," The mayor said. "Thank you both so much; let's go Ann, before they change their minds."

"Ok Claire, I'll lead the way."

**A couple hours later**

"I have to get ready to go back to work." My friend said with a sigh.

"That's cool Ann; all I have left to do is meet the owners of Poultry Farm, and the blacksmith." I told my friend.

"Good luck with that, come by the Inn later and I will make you some food."

"Ok, I will."

We parted ways and I headed for Poultry Farm; when I got there the first person I met was girl about my age with pink hair, she introduced herself as Popuri. She introduced me to her older brother Rick and their mom Lillia; I like Popuri, I think we will become great friends. My final stop was the blacksmith, when I opened the door to the shop I saw two men yelling; one was an old man with a bald head and the other was my age, he had red hair that was mostly covered by a hat and a was wearing a tan work suit. I heard the younger man yell "STOP CRITICIZING ME YOU OLD MAN, I AM GETIING TIRED OF YOUR CONSTANT NAGGING!" then the young man looked at me, he yelled "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT, GET OUT OF HERE!"

"I AM LOOKING AT A YOUNG MAN WHO IS BEING RUDE AND DISRESPECTFUL TO HIS ELDER! I CAME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF, AFTER I INRODUCE MYSELF I WILL LEAVE SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO SEE ME!'' I yelled. I turned to the old man and said "My name's Claire, I am the new owner of the old farm."

"Hello Claire; my name's Saibara, I'm the blacksmith, this young man is my apprentice and grandson, Gray." The old man said.

"It was a pleasure meeting you Saibara, as for you Gray I hope we won't have to see each other again." I left the blacksmith's shop and headed home; when I got there I saw that my luggage was sitting on the floor, I unpacked everything and then decided to go to the Inn for dinner. When I got to the Inn; I saw Ann serving some customers, I sat down at the bar and my friend came up and said "How was the rest of your tour around town, did you get to meet everyone?"

"Yes I did; Popuri, Rick. And Lillia all seem pretty nice, you'll never guess what happened when I got to the blacksmith's shop."

"What?"

"I got into a mini-screaming match with the apprentice; that man is so stubborn, rude, blunt, disrespectful, and a complete hot-head."

"Is that really what you think of me, even though we've only met once?" A voice said.

I turned around and looked at Gray, the rude apprentice. I really wanted to smack him upside his head and yell at him some more.

"Yes; that's really what I think of you, I am pretty good at judging people when I first meet them."

Ann looked at the two of us and said "Claire I see you have met my older brother, Gray."

"He's your brother!?"

"Yeah; I'm her brother do you got a problem with that?" Gray asked.

"Yes I do, the only reason I haven't hit you yet is because Ann is my best friend and I don't want her mad at me." I paused "The other reason is that I haven't eaten anything all day, so I wouldn't be able to leave a mark." I put a hand in my pocket and felt a wadded up piece of paper; it was a note, this is what was written on the note: _Claire, I packed you a few snacks just in case you don't eat dinner. Love C._ I looked up at Ann and said "I'm sorry Ann, but I can't eat here today since I can't stand your brother. Bye" I left the Inn and headed home.

**Gray's POV**

"What did you do to Claire?" My sister asked.

"She walked into the shop while Gramps and I were yelling, and I sort of yelled at her."

"Gray you idiot, if you were nicer to her than she would still be here and she would be eating."

"I should go and apologize to her, and then convince her to come and eat." I said with a sigh. My grandfather came up to me and said "I have hired someone to help at the shop."

"You did what?!" I asked shocked.

"You heard me, I will not repeat myself."

"Who did you hire Gramps?" I asked.

"Claire"

"WHAT!?"

"She stopped me outside and asked if she could work at the shop part-time, I told her yes and that she starts tomorrow." My grandfather said.

"This is great Gray, when she comes to work tomorrow you can apologize than." My sister said.

"Yeah I guess I can." _This is just great_ I thought to myself_; I don't like Claire, and now I find out that she's going to be working with me, _my life sucks.

**I hope you liked the first chapter; do you think Claire and Gray will be able to get along? The next chapter will start with Gray's POV. **


	2. Chapter 2: The Part-Time Job

**Chapter 2: The Part-Time Job**

**Gray's POV**

"When is Claire going to show up?" I asked.

"She said she'll be here after she does all her farm work." My grandfather said.

"What kind of work can she be doing?" I asked.

"Does it look like I know?"

"Well yeah, you are her boss, so you should know these things."

"Get to work Gray, she's none of you concern."

"Yes she is Gramps; she's going to be working with me, so I would like to know when to expect her." I said.

"I can understand that; but we have a lot to do, so get to work."

"Yes sir."

A few minutes later I hear the door open and I look up to see who it is and to my surprise it was Claire. She was dressed in an outfit similar to the one I was wearing, but her outfit was blue and had her name sewn on it, she looked nice. After she was done talking to Gramps, she started working, I was so busy staring at her that I didn't notice that Gramps was glaring at me until he yelled "GET TO WORK GRAY!" I replied with a nod and got started. I was almost done with the necklace I was making when Gramps yelled "THAT IS NOT HOW YOU DO IT GRAY!"

"WILL YOU STOP CRITICIZING ME OLD MAN, IF I AM NOT DOING IT RIGHT EXPLIN IT TO ME!" I yelled.

"I SHOULD'NT HAVE TO EXPLAIN IT TO YOU, WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH THIS MANY TIMES!"

"I AM GETTING SICK AND TIRED OF YOU SAYING THE SAME OLD THING!" I yelled.

"WILL YOU TWO STOP YELLING, I AM TRYING TO WORK OVER HERE!" Claire yells; I am so angry right now that I look at her and yell "YOU STAY OUT OF THIS BLONDIE!"

"HOW CAN I IGNORE IT? YOU TWO ARE YELLING SO LOUD THAT IT'S HARD TO CONCENTRATE!" She yelled back.

"IF YOU WANT A QUIET JOB; YOU SHOULD WOTK SOMEPLACE ELSE!"I yelled

"I DID'NT WANT A QUIET JOB, I JUST WANT YOU TO SHUT THE HECK UP!" She yelled back.

"I AM NOT GOING TO SHUT UP UNTIL THIS OLD MAN APOLOGIZES TO ME!"

"WHY DOES HE NEED TO APOLOGIZE? HE JUST WANTS YOU TO MAKE THE NECKLACE RIGHT!" She yelled.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WRONG WITH IT!" I yelled

"IF YOU WOULD PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU'RE DOING, YOU WOULD REALIZE THAT THE NECKLACE DOESN'T HAVE A CLASP!" she yelled.

I looked at her and then I looked at the necklace, she was right the necklace didn't have a clasp. I looked at Claire and said

"I'm sorry for yelling at you Claire, I was just so angry. You were right about the necklace not having a clasp"

"Don't apologize to me, everyone makes mistakes." She said

I looked at her and then I looked at Gramps and said "I am sorry for yelling at you Gramps, I should have been paying attention to what I was doing."

"It's okay Gray, I should have just told you what was wrong with the necklace instead of yelling at you." My grandfather said.

"Now that you two have made up, let's get back to work." Claire said.

**3 hours later**

"I believe it's time for our lunch break." Claire said.

"You're right Claire, you and Gray go and get something to eat." Gramps said.

"Okay Saibara, we will see you in a few" She said.

We left the shop and started walking to the Inn, as we neared the Inn I looked over at her and realized that she was cute when she was thinking. I ask her "When was the last time you ate?"

"I ate last night when I got home; a friend of mine had sent some snacks with me."

"Okay, that's good Ann was afraid that you didn't have anything to eat." I said.

"I should have explained, I should have told her that I was leaving because I had something to eat." She said.

"Yeah, you told her that you were leaving because you can't stand me."  
I said, with that we stopped talking.

When we reached the Inn, I held open the door for her and she just walked in without even saying thanks. When I got to the bar, my sister was already taking Claire's order. My sister came over and took my order and after she brought me my food she went back over to Claire. The first thing my sister asked was "How do you like working with my brother and grandfather?"

"I like working at the blacksmith's shop, it is a fun job. Your grandfather is really good at working the cash register, your brother is good at what he does but I think he's creepy." She said.

"Why is my brother creepy?" My sister asked.

"He was staring at me earlier and it creped me out."

"He probably shocked to see a girl working at the shop." My sister said.

"Maybe; I have to go Ann; I have some errands I have to do before I go back to work." Claire said.

The minute she left my sister came over to me and asked "What do you think of Claire?"

"I think she's stubborn, annoying, and I think the voice she uses when she yells can wake the dead." I said.

"I have a another question for you, but first I have to go take Elli's order." She said.

While she was gone, I thought about what my sister's question might be. I started thinking about what Claire and my sister talked about; I realized that my sister was right; I was shocked to see a girl working at the shop. When my sister came back she asked me "Do you think Claire's cute?"

"I don't want to answer that question, you know I like Mary." I said.

"When will you realize that Mary doesn't like you? She has a boyfriend." My sister said.

"I know she has a boyfriend, but I still like her." I said

"If you keep waiting for Mary to love you back, I am never going to be an aunt." My sister said with a sigh.

"I have to back to work Ann, I'll see you later." I said.

I left the Inn and headed back to the shop, when I got there I was surprised to see that Claire was already working. I gave her a small wave and got straight to work. I started to think about what my sister asked me, I realized that I did think Claire was cute.

**A few hours later**

"You guys can go home now. Don't forget that were closed on Thursdays, Claire" Gramps said.

"I forgot; since tomorrow is Thursday, I guess I will see you Friday." Claire said.

"That's right, I will see you on Friday Claire." Gramps said

"Bye Saibara, bye Gray." She said and then she left.

"I will see you later Gramps" I said.

"Bye Gray." Gramps said.

I left the shop and headed for the Inn, the minute I got there I heard my sister and Popuri talking. My sister looks up at me and goes to the kitchen to get me some lemonade; my sister knows that I drink lemonade with my dinner. I sit down sit the bar and my sister comes over with my drink and takes my order, after she brings me my food she leaves. That night while I was falling asleep; I thought about how good Claire was at working in the shop, I wanted to know how she got that good, I fell asleep with a small smile on my face.

**The Next Day**

I love Thursday because it's my day off and I get away from Gramps and I get to see Mary. I've had a crush on Mary since we were young, but she does not return my feelings. Today when I got to the library Mary was at her desk working on her novel, when she saw me she gave me a little wave and then went back to writing. I was sitting at the table reading a book when I heard a familiar voice talking to Mary; it was Claire, I heard her ask Mary "Where can I find the cookbooks?" the cookbooks were right next to where I was sitting, when she came over I asked "You like to cook?"

She looked at me and said "Yes I like to cook, do you have a problem with that?"

"No I don't, I thought you got your meals from the Inn."

"I eat at the Inn_ and_ I cook for myself; but I am looking for recipes to send my friend." She said.

"Does your friend like to cook too?" I asked.

"Yes he does, he owns his own café and he is always looking for new recipes." She said.

"You are such a good friend for doing this; he is lucky to have you for a friend." I said.

"Thank you for saying that Gray, you're right he's lucky to have me." She said.

"You're welcome; I have another question for you Claire."

"Okay, shoot"

"Where did you learn to work at a blacksmith's shop?" I asked

"That's easy; there was a blacksmith's shop in the village where I grew up, I went there all the time and the owner ended up teaching me everything I know. I chose to work with you and your grandfather because I wanted to work at a place that I was familiar with."

"I see." I said. I realized that she was crying; before I could ask her what was wrong, she ran out of the library. Mary came over to me and asked  
"What did you do to Claire?"

"Nothing, we were talking and then she ran off."

"You should go and look for her Gray." Mary said.

"I was thinking about doing that, but I don't know where to start."

"I saw her head in the direction of the forest." Mary said.

"Thanks Mary, I will go look for her." I said. I left the library and headed toward the forest, I started to think about Claire and why she left the library in tears. I passed Gotz's house and headed toward the spring, when I got I heard crying coming from the mine. When I entered the mine I saw Claire hitting rocks with her hammer, she had tears in her eyes. When she saw me standing there she asked "Why are you here?"

"I came looking for you; I was worried about you and wanted to know why you're crying."

"You were worried about me?" She asked.

"Yes I was. Will you please tell me why you're crying?"

"Okay; I'm crying because I started thinking about my parents, they died when I was a child." She said.

"I'm sorry Claire, I know how you feel."

"How do you know?" She asked.

"I know because my mother died when Ann and I were children." I said.

"I'm sorry to hear that Gray."

"That's okay, I never thought I would meet someone who had lost their mom like I did." I said.

"Hey Gray can I ask you something?" She said.

"Sure."

"Have you ever needed a hug to cheer you up, but didn't have anyone to hug? She asked.

"Yes, why are you asking?"

"I'm asking because I need a hug but I don't have anyone to hug." She said with a sigh.

"If you want, you can hug me."

"Okay" she said.

She came over to me and wrapped her arms around me, after a few seconds I wrapped my arms around her. We stood like this for a few good minutes, until I broke the silence by asking "Would you like me to walk you home?"

"Sure. That would be great, Thanks." She said.

We walked to her farm in silence, when we got to her house she invited me in for a snack. When I walked into her house, I saw a bunch of pictures on the wall and I knew she lived a happy life. She gave me some chocolate cupcakes and a glass of milk; I looked at her after I took a bite and said "You are a good cook Claire, these cupcakes are delicious."

"Thank you, I like baking sweets." She said.

"You should be working at the Inn; you would bring in tons of business with your delicious snacks."

"That's a sweet thing to say, but I love working at the blacksmith's shop because I love blacksmithing better than I do baking." She said.

"Okay; I see your logic and if you ever need a test subject for your snacks, I'm your guy." I said.

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind." She said.

We finished eating in silence, when we were done she walked me to the entrance of the farm. She looked up at me with her beautiful blue eyes and said "Thanks for everything; I'm glad I have a friend like you."

"No problem; if you ever need a hug or shoulder to cry on, you know where to find me." I said

"Okay, I'll come to you." She said.

While walking to the Inn; I thought about the time I spent with Claire, I realized that I was developing a crush on the blonde farmer.

**Claire's POV**

I watched Gray walk away from my farm and I was glad that I had found such a good friend. I went inside my farmhouse and prepared for an evening at home, I realized that Gray was nice _and_ normal once you get to know him.

**How was this chapter? Gray was sweet and nice in this chapter. Gray is developing feelings for Claire; do you think she will develop feelings for him?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Cookies, Jack, and a mysterious phone call **

**A/N: This probably will be one of my longest chapters.**

**Gray's POV**

It's been a couple weeks since Claire moved to Mineral Town and she has already made friends with all the villagers. Ever since the day we talked in the mine and at her house we have been getting along better than before and we have been hanging out more. Today I looked at the calendar and realized that it was almost the Spring Thanksgiving festival; which means that I have to figure out who I want to give cookies to. I walked downstairs to get some breakfast and my sister was already waiting for me and the first words that came out of her mouth were: "Hey Gray, do you know who you're giving cookies to?"

"Yes, I know who I'm giving cookies to." I said without thinking.

"Who are you giving cookies to?" My sister asked.

"I am giving cookies to Claire." I said without thinking once again.

"I knew it! I knew you had a crush on Claire!" My sister said with excitement.

"Keep your voice down Ann! I don't need the town gossipers to catch wind of this." I said.

"You haven't denied having a crush on Claire, which means you have a crush on her."

"I don't want to talk about it with you Ann." I said and began to feel myself blush.

"I think it's sweet of you to do, since we all know that Mary never eats _your_ cookies." My sister said.

"I finally realized that she doesn't eat my cookies, so I've decided to bake them for Claire."

"That's good; if you give them Claire at least _she_ might fall in love with you." My sister said.

"Ann, will you please stop interfering with my love life?" I asked, even though I know that she would continue to meddle in my life.

"No I will not." My sister said

"Why do you wish to interfere in my love life?"

"The answer to that question is simple, I love messing with you Gray" She said with a smirk.

"Why?"

"It's because you're my brother." She said.

"Fine then; since you interfere with my love life, I'll interfere with yours and tell Cliff you like him." I said with a smirk, knowing that my sister has a crush on my roommate Cliff.

"You wouldn't dare." She said.

"Try me."

"I can't believe you Gray; I just want to help you."

"I understand Ann; but I want to make progress with Claire on my own, I don't want you helping me."

"Okay, I won't interfere, just don't tell Cliff I like him." She said.

"I won't tell him; I got to go to work Ann, I'll see you later." I said. I left the Inn and headed straight for work, when I got there Claire was already working on the order we got from Rick. We spent the next hour finishing the last bit of work we had in silence until Cliff comes in with an old watering can. He looks at us and says "Can you upgrade this watering can for the farmer in Forget-Me-Not-Valley?"

"Sure we can, why are you delivering it for him?" I asked.

"He had to harvest a bunch of crops and asked me to deliver it here."

"Did he send the money and the ore needed to complete the job?" I asked.

"Yeah, here you go." He said and handed me the required items.

"That young man is very responsible for his age, I like him." Gramps said.

"Well I got to go, I'm needed at the winery." With that, Cliff left and was once again it was only the three of us.

"Hey Gray, do you know the farmer in Forget-Me-Not-Valley?" Claire asked.

"Yeah, he's a good guy." I asked

"What's his name?" Claire asked.

"Jack Richmond, why do you ask?"

"Just wondering." She said

"Okay than." I said.

"Hey Gray, when do you think the watering can will be ready?" Claire asked.

"It should be ready by Thursday, why do you ask."

"When you go to deliver it can I go with you?" She asked.

"Why do you want to come with me?"

"I have personal business to attend to; it requires me to go to Forget-Me-Not-Valley." She said.

"If that's the case, I guess you can come with me."

"Thanks Gray, you're the best." She said with excitement.

"You're welcome." With that we went back to work, I started to think of what could be so important that Claire has to go to Forget-Me-Not-Valley. I wonder if she knows Jack; if she does I wonder how she knows him, I'll talk to Ann and see what she thinks.

**Sometime later **

After work Claire and I decided to walk to the Inn together, since she didn't feel like cooking. When we got there, she decided to have spaghetti, while I had lasagna; in between bites we discussed our upcoming trip to Forget-Me-Not-Valley and how her farm was doing, after dinner she left. I finished my dinner and then told Ann about Cliff delivering the watering can to the shop and asked her what she thought about Claire's questions about Jack.

"If you ask me, Claire and Jack used to be a couple." She said.

"That's hard to believe, she must know him from somewhere else."

"You don't want to admit that I might be right because you have developed strong feelings for her Gray."

"I still think you're wrong, Claire didn't act like she was involved with Jack." I said.

"How about we make a bet" She said.

"What's the bet you have in mind?"

"I think there is something romantic going on between Claire and Jack; you don't think there is, so here's the bet: if I'm right you have to do my job for a week, if you're right I have to do anything you say for a week." She said.

"I like this, it's a deal."

"Goody." She said. We shook hands to show that we both agree to the terms of the bet and then I went upstairs and went to sleep.

**Claire's POV **

I am so excited, I haven't seen Jack in a few years and in five days I will get to see him. I went home and got ready for bed, my thoughts drifted back to Gray and how he was nice enough to let me come with him so that I can see Jack, I just hope Jack will be happy to see me.

**Four Days Later**

**Claire's POV**

The last few days have been exciting; I have been making preparations and now we're leaving for Forget-Me-Not-Valley. Gray said that if we leave now; we'll make it by Thursday, which is tomorrow. Ann walked us to the entrance of Mineral Town and promised that she will take good care of the farm while I'm away; she was still standing there by the time we looked back, she looked like a tiny speck. As we were walking along the path, Gray was telling me all about Forget-Me-Not-Valley and it sounded like it was just the same as I remembered it from my childhood. I started to think about my friends in Forget-Me-Not and was wondering how much they've changed.

"Hey Claire, we're almost to there." Gray said, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Are you sure Gray? It seems that we've been only walking for a few minutes."

"Yes; we've been walking for about eight hours, if you count the time we sat down to take breaks." He said.

"How far away is the inn from the valley's entrance?" I asked, since I haven't been there in a while.

"It will only take a few minutes."

"Okay." I said. We didn't talk for the rest of the walk to Forget-Me-Not, when we got there Gray started pointing out all the places he goes when he comes to visit. The sky was starting to get darker by the time we reached the Inner Inn; and when we walked in the innkeeper looked up at us and broke into a big smile.

"Hey Ruby, this is my friend Claire." Gray said.

"Let me get a look at you." Ruby said. When I looked into her eyes, I suddenly remembered that she was the woman who made the best homemade lemonade; the minute she looked into my eyes, she ran up to me and threw her arms around me. "Claire dear, is that really you?" She asked.

"Yeah Ruby it's really me." I said with a smile.

"What have you been up to lately?" She asked.

"I took over the ranch in Mineral Town and I'm working part-time at the blacksmith's shop." I said.

"You're working with Saibara and Gray?"

"Yeah." I stifled a yawn.

"Claire; the room reserved for the girls that come to visit from Mineral Town is upstairs, why don't you go and get some sleep." She said.

"Okay Ruby, before I go I want you to promise me that you'll tell Gray how we know each other and answer any questions he might ask." I said.

"Okay I'll tell him, now go and get some sleep." She said.

"Good night Ruby, Good night Gray." I said and I headed upstairs to my room.

**Gray's POV**

I watched Claire go upstairs and the second I heard her open and close the door to her room I looked at Ruby and asked "How do you know Claire?"

"I've known her family for years and I'm good friends with her uncle." She said.

"When did you first meet Claire?" I asked.

"I first met Claire when she was two months old and her parents wanted me to meet their only daughter. She first talked to me when she was four years old, since she came to visit every summer."

"They brought her here every year?" I asked.

"Yes; her parents brought her to visit until she turned two years old, after that her uncle brought her to visit." She said.

"Why didn't her parents bring her after she turned two?" I asked

"Her parents died right after she turned two." She said.

"I knew that her parents died, but I didn't know that they died when she was two years old." I said.

"Yeah, after they died her uncle raised her." She said.

"I have one last question for you Ruby, and then I'm going to my room to get some sleep." I said.

"Okay, what's your question?"

"What was Claire like when she was a child?" I asked.

"Claire was always a happy little girl, she loved exploring and she made friends with every person she met." She said.

"She's still able to make friends with everyone she meets." I said.

"That's good." She said.

"Well Ruby; you told me everything I wanted to know, good night." With that I went upstairs and went to my room and I was asleep the second my head hit the pillow.

**The Next Day**

**Gray's POV**

The next morning I woke up and got ready for the day and when I went downstairs I heard the sound of laughter. I entered the kitchen to find Claire and Nami sitting at the table. "Hey guys."

"Hey Gray; thanks for binging my best friend with you, I really missed her." Nami said

"You're welcome, what's for breakfast? I asked.

"Ruby made you your favorite." Nami said

"Cool." Claire handed me my plate and sure enough there was an ear of baked corn on it. When I was done eating I looked at Claire and asked "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I can't wait to see Jack." Claire said. I went upstairs and got the watering can when I came back down Claire was waiting at the door. When got to the farm; we saw Jack working in the field, when Claire saw him she ran up to him and gave him a big hug; he swung her in a circle. I watched the two hug each other; they seemed so happy; Ann was right, there was something romantic going on between them. I sat the watering down and I ran from the farm with tears in my eyes, I headed straight for the digsite.

**Claire's POV**

When I saw Gray leave I was worried, he seemed upset. I looked up at Jack and said "I have to go find him Jack, he's my friend and I'm worried about him."

"Okay; when you find him. Bring him to the Goddess Pond and I will tell him everything _**I**_ think he needs to hear." He said.

"Okay." I said. I left the farm and began my search for Gray.

**Gray's POV**

I was the digsite for about an hour when I heard footsteps and heavy breathing, when I turned around I was tackled and hugged by Claire. "There you are Gray! I was worried about you; it's not like you to disappear without telling anyone." She said.

"You were worried about me?" I asked.

"Yes; you left without telling me you were leaving, I've been searching everywhere for you." She said.

"I'm sorry I worried you, I thought you and your boyfriend wanted some alone time, so I left." I said.

"What boyfriend?" She asked; she pulled back to look at me, she seemed confused.

"Jack." I said.

"Jack's not my boyfriend Gray, he's my older brother." She said

"He's your brother?" I asked shocked.

"Yeah he's my brother and he wants to talk to you."

"What does he want to talk about?"

"You'll have to come with me and find out." She said. She took me by the hand and dragged me to the Goddess Pond; where Jack was waiting, she let go of my hand and left. Jack looked at me and smiled; he sat down and patted the ground next to him, indicating that I should sit down next to him. He looked and me and said "I'm going to tell you why I haven't spoken to Claire in three years and the reason she moved to Mineral Town."

"Okay." I said.

"Claire is my only sister; I have always been proud and supportive of her. She returned to the village where we grew up after graduating culinary school; when she came back, she brought a new boyfriend with her. Jamie was from our village too; but he moved to the city to be with his sick mother. When he came back with Claire, I was happy to see that my sister found a boyfriend; but my happiness didn't last." He said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"They were only together for three months_; he_ broke up with _her_, I know because I overheard the whole thing. Claire wasn't upset about it; she was ready to find a new boyfriend. Jamie realized that he loved Claire and he wanted her back; she told him that she doesn't want to get back together, so he ended up becoming her stalker." He said

"What did he do?" I said

"He followed her everywhere, tapped her phone, attacked her, and harassed anyone who talked to her. I refused to be intimidated by the creep; but he ended up threatening my family if I didn't keep him posted about Claire's movements, so I ended up cutting all ties with Claire. When Jamie found out that I stopped communicating with her; he ended up leaving me alone. Claire moved to Mineral Town because she knows that's the last place he'd think to look; I didn't know she lived there until Ruby told me when I stopped by the inn on my way here." He said; he had a worried expression on his face.

"What wrong?" I asked.

"I'm worried that Jamie will come looking for her and that he'll hurt her again; she fights him whenever he comes near her. I just want her to be safe." He said.

"Don't worry Jack; I'll make sure he doesn't hurt her." I said

"Wait a minute, do you have a crush on my sister?" He asked.

"Yes, your sister is funny, smart, beautiful, a good cook, and a good friend." I said.

"I see; I'm glad she has someone like you looking out for her, you have my blessing." He said.

"I'm glad you approve." I said

"Hey Gray."

"Yes Jack?"

"I think Claire has a crush on you too; she was worried about you when you disappeared."

"Really?" I began to feel my face redden.

"Yes, now let's go back to my farm." He said.

"Okay." We headed back to the farm, when we were halfway there we heard a voice call out "Dad!" The voice belonged to a young boy; when Jack saw him he said "Max!"

"Dad you have to come home now, it's an emergency!" Max said.

"What's wrong?" Jack said.

"Aunt Claire was helping me feed the chickens and when we came out of the coop we saw that creepy scientist trying to hurt Zoey. Aunt Claire told him to leave her alone; but he didn't listen, so she went over there and punched him. He let go of Zoey and started fighting with Aunt Claire; as I was leaving the farm to come find you, I saw that Aunt Claire already had a bloody lip and a red mark on her cheek. I'm worried about her, we have to hurry back." Max said.

"Let's go." Jack said. We ran to the farm and when we got there we saw a middle-age man standing over Claire. He looked up at us with a grin and Jack said "Step away from her Daryll."

"Why should I?" Daryll asked with a smirk.

"You don't want to get hurt do you?" Jack said.

"Who's going to hurt me?" Daryll asked.

"I will." Jack said.

"You won't hurt me in front of your son." Daryll said.

"He might not be able to hurt you; but I am, so if you want to leave unharmed, I suggest you step away from her." I said.

"Who are you?" Daryll said.

"It's none of your business who I am." I said. I looked at Claire and saw that she was getting ready to kick Daryll.

"Hey Daryll, you should pay better attention to the person you're fighting." Claire said, with that she kicked him in the gut.

"How are you still conscious!?" Daryll asked with shock.

"I'm still conscious because I'm tougher than you." She said, than she pinned him to the ground.

"You may be tougher than me, but you're not as clever as me." With that he freed his left arm; he then pulled out a knife, before Claire could stop him, he stabbed her.

"You're going to pay for that." I said; before he realized what was happening, I had him back on the ground.

"What are you going to do to me?" Daryll asked.

"I'm going to drag you to the entrance of the farm and let you leave." I said.

"Why?'' Daryll asked.

"You already got your butt kicked by a girl; even though you stabbed her, that's punishment enough." I said.

"Fine; you don't have to drag me, I'll leave willingly." He said, with that he left. I turned back to Claire and saw that she was unconscious.

"Max, go and get Dr. Hardy." Jack said.

"Okay." Max said. He ran off.

I went over to Claire and picked her up bridal style and headed toward the house, Jack ran ahead of me and opened the door. When we got inside, Jack told me to lay her on the bed in the guest room. Dr. Hardy came about two minutes later and he made us leave the room. We heard footsteps at the top of the stairs and heard a voice say "Jack what's wrong?" We looked up to see my friend Celia coming down the stairs.

"Did Zoey tell you what happened?"

"Yeah; she told me that Daryll was trying to hurt her, but Claire came over and started beating him up." Celia said.

"Yeah; Max told us the same thing, when we got here Daryll was standing over Claire, but she ended up pinning him to the ground, but Daryll broke his arm free and stabbed her. We sent Max to get Dr. Hardy and when they got here Dr. Hardy made us all leave the room."

"I see. Hi Gray." Celia said.

"Hi Celia." I said. We heard the door to the guest room open and Dr. Hardy came out.

"How is she?" I asked.

"She's okay, it wasn't that deep." Hardy said.

"That's good." Jack and I said at the same time.

"Yeah, she'll be out in a minute." Hardy said, and then he left. We heard the door to the guest room open and Claire came out with her shirt on backwards.

"How are you feeling and why is your shirt on backwards?" Jack asked.

"I'm feeling fine; I had to put my shirt on backwards because Hardy had to make the whole in my shirt bigger so he could stich up my wound." She said.

"I see." He said.

"Thank you Claire, you saved my baby girl." Celia said coming to stand next to Claire.

"You're welcome; Zoey and the boys have grown on me." Claire said and she stifled a yawn.

"You sound tired, you should go back to the inn." Jack said.

"Okay." She said and she headed outside, I said goodbye and followed her out. When we got to the inn I realized that today was the Spring Thanksgiving festival.

"Hey Claire, I have something for you." I said.

"What is it?'' She asked.

"Go to your room and I will bring it to you."

"Okay" She said. The minute we reached the top of the stairs; I ran to my room to get the cookies and then went over to Claire's room and knocked on the door.

"Come in." She said. When I entered the room she was sitting on her bed reading a book.

"Happy Spring Thanksgiving Claire, I made these for you." I said and. I handed her the cookies

"Thank you Gray." She got off the bed and she gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"You're welcome, good night." I said and I left the room, that night I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

**The Next Day**

**Gray's POV**

The next morning I got up and began packing my things, today we'll be headed back to Mineral Town. When I was finished I headed downstairs to the lobby and saw Claire saying goodbye to Ruby and Nami. "Are you ready to go Claire?" I asked.

"Yes." She said; after giving Ruby and Nami one final hug, we headed towards the valley's entrance. As we were passing Vesta's farm we heard someone calling our names; we turn to see Jack and his family running towards us.

"Claire! Were you going to leave without saying goodbye?" Jack asked.

"Maybe, I was hoping you would catch up to us before we left." Claire said.

"I wasn't going to let you leave without giving me a hug goodbye." Jack said. The siblings embrace each other one final time after making Claire promise to come and visit again. We left Forget-Me-Not and headed back home; along the way we talked about how Claire became best friends with Nami and we talked about Jamie, by the time we got to Mineral Town the sun was setting. Claire promised to come to the Inn after she went home and unpacked. When I got to the Inn, I told Ann everything.

"They're siblings?" She asked.

"Yeah; this means that they never were romantically involved, which means that I win the bet." I said with a chuckle.

"Darn" She said.

"Don't worry; you won't have to start doing anything until tomorrow." I said.

"Okay." She said.

Claire walked in a minute later followed by Trent and Elli and sat down next to me, the second she sat down the phone rings. Ann goes over and answers the phone "Hello this is Doug's Inn; this is Ann speaking, how may I help you." She looks over at us and says "It's for you Claire."

**Claire's POV**

''Hello?" I said when I took the phone from Ann.

"Hey Claire; it's me, Skye." He sounded like he was in pain.

"What's wrong Skye? You sound like your hurt." I said.

"I'm on Zack's boat; we'll be docking at the beach in a few minutes, meet us there, and bring a doctor." He said.

"Okay, we'll be waiting for you on the beach." I said.

"We'll see you there, I love you Claire."

"I love you too Skye." I hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" Ann asked.

"I'll tell you later; Trent, Elli, I need you to come with me to the beach." I said.

"Why?" Elli asked.

"You have a new patient arriving in a few minutes and he needs medical attention." I said.

"Okay, let's go." Elli said. The three of us ran out of the Inn and headed to the beach. I looked up at the sky with one thought going through my head: _I don't know what happened to you Skye; but I promise that I'll be there for you, no matter what._

**A/N: How was that? Who do you think Skye is? The next chapter will start with Gray's POV.**


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